Semisolid tire



- C. S. PRESTON SEMISOLID TIRE Filed NOV, 5, 1923 Z I Z 21 :9 6

3mm czarenceflfiestow,

Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES CLARENCE S. PRESTON OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

SEMISOLID TIRE.

Application filed November 5, 1923.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CLARENCE S. PRESTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State. of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Semisolid Tires, of which the following is a specification. 7 i

This invention relates to automobiles or other vehicles, and more particularly to tires therefor. 1

An object of the present invention is to provide a tire for automobiles or. other vehioles which shall possess'the advantage of being puncture proof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tire. for vehicles which will not be subject to the disadvantages attendant upon its being punctured and which will at the same time possess the riding qualities usually associated with a pneumatic tire.-

A further object of the invention is to provide a tire for automobile wheels which shall have improved suspension means.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such a tire that is vulcanized to the rim of the vehicle wheel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional view through an automobile wheel'and tire embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through an automobile wheel and tire showing a slightly modified form of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and especially to Fig. 1, the wheel 1 is provided with spokes 2 of any convenient or usual type, either of wood or wire, disk or other type, and the rim 3. The wheel 1 is also provided with any convenient usual or standard form of hub, not shown, as it forms no part of the present invention.

To the rim 3 may be vulcanized the semisolid tire 4, which consists, as shown, of annular side edge portions 5, and the annular tread 6. It will be observed that the tire is very roughly substantially triangular in cross section. lVithin the tire are provided channels or voids 7 which may, as shown, be two in number and somewhat crescent shaped in cross section. Looked at in cross Serial No. 673,008.

section, the channels 7 diverge in a radially outward direction. Inwardly of the annular voids 7 is provided near the inner periphery of the tire an annular channel 8 which may, as shown, conveniently be made somewhat crescent shaped in cross section, if desired. The annular channel 8 may be provided with a valve stem 9 having the dust cap 10 which may be removed for the purpose of pumping air through the valve stem 9 into the annular channel 8 until the desired pressure is obtained within said channel.

The foregoing construction leaves what may be termed a bridge 11 between the tread portion and the inner periphery of the tire and which may be regarded as being suspended upon the annular side edges 5 of the tire, pressure being transmited from the tread proper to said bridge through the central solid portion 12 between the voids 7.

The annular side edges 5 may be made of somewhat harder material than the other portions of the tire, thereby increasing the suspension effectand, consequently, improving the resiliency and riding qualities of said tire.

Referring now to Fig. 2 of the drawings, the wheel 1 having spokes 2 and the rim 3 may be of any usual or desired construction. To the rim 3 may be vulcanized, as before. the tire 13, having the tread portion 14 and the inner annular side edges 15. The tire 13 may be vulcanized at its inner periphery to the rim 8, and, as in Fig. 1, the inner annular side edges 15 of the tire may be of relatively harder material than the main body 13 of the the in order to, provide effective load suspension means and increase the resiliency and improve the riding qualities of the tire, and inner, voids 16, herein shown as being two in number for convenience, are provided in the tire 13 and may, as shown, be substantially) crescent shape in cross section, the two voids 16 diverging outwardly toward the tread portion 14 of the tire. The inner annular channel 17 may also be provided and be substantially crescent shaped in cross section, forming as before the bridge portion 18 by means of which the outer or tread portion of the tire is suspended upon th side 15, the load being tansmitted to said bridge through the solid portion 19 between the voids 16, as well as through the solid portions of the tire on the outside of said void.

The ainn'rlarvOidslG and channlfl may be filledwith" relatively soft yieldab'le'matter such as rubber 20, which tends to absorb shocks and at the -sa mwti'mefis sufficiently softto permit considerable movement of the harder portions of the tire with respect thereto.

It will be seen that by the foregoing construction there has been provided a tire which has its tread portion suitably {suspended 'to iinp'rovefi'ts riding quaili'ties, which is provided"\vithrelatively hard s'i'de portions between which" a central portion is flexiblysuspended, and one 'wh'ich," though substantially solid, is yet p'rwidedwith soft cushioning means "which increase its resilienc'eand' improve its riding qualities, the tire'being at the same t'inie"notsubject' to the disadvantages 1 usually attendantupon puncturing an ordinary pneumatic tire.

lVhat is claimedis: a

1. A semi-solid tire for vehicles comprising an annulanresili'ent' body having substantially concave sides'and a convex tread, said annular bodyliaving therein outwardly diverging annular voids, and an annular channel substantially crescent shaped in cross section adjacentfitsinner periphery, the inner side edges of; said annalmbody being of harder material" than said convex tread to coa'ct with the voids to improve the susp'ension'ffe'ct thereof.

tread-portion and outwardly diverging annnlar 'VOlClS' therein-and an annular channel ad]acent 1ts inner periphery, relatively soft "resilientmaterial in said channel, the sides of said tire converging outwardly and being' er harder mam-iatthan said tread portion at their inner edges to provide the proper suspension of the load.

* 3. A semi-solid tire'for vehicles comprising an annular'resilient body having outwardly-converging sides, the inner periplr eral'edges of said sides being of relatively hard material, said tire body having an annular channel "therein adjacent its inner periphery,' and having a load sustaining portion of relatively softmaterial' suspended on 'saidrelatively' hard side: edges said hard side edges being adapted to coact witlrthe chan'nelto properly suspend the load.

4. Asemi solidi tirei'or vehicles comprising an" annular resilient body provided with annular voids arranged to form a load sustaining bridge, the sidesadjacent the inner Jeriphery "of said tire being formed of harder material than the body of the tire, said hardened portions being adapted to coa'ct with i the load sustaining bridge "to properly suspend the dead,

In" testimony whereof I- affix my signature.

CLARENCE S. PRESTON. 

